Ancient Music, The Way It Was Meant to
Sound
Do you love Bach, Handel and Telemann? Interested in listening to the
music as it was
played 300 years ago? The Academy of Ancient Music, complete with an array of period instruments, will perform this very music when it returns to the
theater, this time under the leadership of harpsichordist and conductor Richard Egarr.
The program includes Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No.5 in D major
BWV1050 and Concerto
No.7 in G minor for harpsichord BWV1058J; Handel's Concerto Grosso in A minor Op.6 No.4 and Sonata à 5 in B flat major HWV288; and Telemann's
Concerto in D major for flute TWV 51:D2 and Concerto in A major for flute, violin & obbligato cello. Buy your
tickets
here.
Esty Dinur
with Tom Wopat
Friday, February 22 and Saturday, February 23, 7:30 pm
Tickets $15, $20 and $25 ($2 discount for students with ID and seniors
62+)
A Rare Opportunity: Follies with Tom
Wopat
Four Seasons Theatre, in cooperation with the Wisconsin Union Theater, will present a staged concert version of "Follies" starring Tony nominee Tom
Wopat as part of their Unsung Musical Series. Winner of 11 Tony Awards in 1972 and five more for the 2001 revival, "Follies" was recently produced as
a sellout staged concert version by New York City Center in 2007. Now Madison audiences will have the rare opportunity to see this tour-de-force work
live in concert.
Broadway star and Lodi native Tom Wopat returns to the very stage he performed on as a UW-Madison student. With direction by Katrina Williams Brunner
and music direction by Andrew Abrams (FST Artistic Director), the Four Seasons Theatre staged concert version of FOLLIES will feature a cast of 30+
local singers and actors onstage with a 27 piece orchestra.
Sarah Marty
Monday & Tuesday, March 3 and 4, 7:30 pm
Tickets: $11, UW-Madison students $6
Having Craic in Ireland
What comes to mind when you think of Ireland? Music? Dance? Corned Beef
and Cabbage?
Beer and Pubs? I traveled to Ireland last year with two friends and experienced all of these things first hand. We saw some amazing places, St.
Peter's Cathedral, Dublin Castle and let's not forget the Guinness Brewery. We met some wonderfully nice people and learned some new words such as
"Craic," the term used in pubs to describe the fun, enjoyment, abandonment, or lighthearted mischief often had in the context of drinking or music.
There were crowds of people enjoying the pub atmosphere and a variety
of live music
every night, which leads me to believe that Ireland, not that place in Florida with the mouse, is the happiest place on earth.
The people of Ireland left the biggest impression on me and my friends,
especially on
our last day in Dublin, when we missed our plane home by mere minutes. A stranger, an ex-secretary of a second cousin once removed of one of the
girls I was with, took us in for the night, fed us and made sure we made it to the airport on time the next morning.
My travels in Ireland were something I will always remember, and the
Irish people made
these experiences what they were. If you've never had the opportunity to visit Ireland, or have and perhaps want to reminisce about this wonderful
land, make sure to mark your calendars for our upcoming Travel Film, "Inside Ireland with Clint Denn," March 3rd and 4th at 7:00
pm.
Shelly Van Buren
Reminder: Fred Ho's Residency and Concert
Canceled
The concert by Fred Ho and the Afro-Asian Music Ensemble, originally
scheduled for March 7,
was canceled due to serious health issues. We regret the cancelation and wish Mr. Ho a quick recovery.
above: Zayda Pena
Mexican Musicians, Drug Lords, and Death
Every once in a while
we bring you a story about trends or issues related to the performing arts. The
following piece, written by Isthmus
arts critic Susan Kepecs, discusses the dangerous and disturbing situation faced
by musicians in Mexico's
northern states.
Later this season, on
April 11, we present the great Lila Downs, who sings the music of her native Oaxaca, a state in Mexico's south.
Today's headlines list the latest twists in the ludicrous soap opera we call
the presidential
primaries. Meanwhile, south of the border, the press grapples with the the death tolls from turf wars between super-powerful, machinegun-toting
narco cartels. I breathe a sigh of relief after scanning the headlines in La Jornada. No musicians were shot today.
Mexico's gruperos - cowboy-attired, mustached masters of an accordion-based,
polka-laced
norteño sound updated with hints of US urban beats - are under attack. In December, three gruperos were wiped out in a row. You
probably heard about Sergio Gomez of K-Paz de la Sierra, found dead and mutilated by the side of a highway in Michoacan on December 3. Since the
former Duranguense had long lived in Chicago, the US press picked up the story. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. On December 1,
Zayda Peña, the lead singer of Zayda y los Culpables, was shot to death in a Matamorros hospital where she landed after being shot in the neck
three days earlier. On December 6, trumpet player Jose Luis Aquino of Los Conde was tortured and murdered in Oaxaca.
For the first three weeks of '08, add in two more murders - Roberto del
Fierro Lugo, who
managed singer Jesus "El Flaco" Elizalde, in Guadalajara, and singer Jorge Antonio Sepulveda, in Sinaloa. And since late 2006, at least six
other gruperos have met similar fates.
To get a grip on this, you need to know about the narco culture that's
especially pervasive
in Mexico's northern states, where smuggling tunnels thumb their noses at the monster border fence. Grupero music in general glorifies
narcocultura, even when the message is hidden. Peña's "Tiro de
Gracia" (coup de grace) and Gomez' "Con Olor a Yerba" (with the smell
of grass) are
ostensibly love songs about failed relationships and romps in the park, but how subtle is that?
For more blatant narcocultura tunes check out the corrido "El Chapo Guzman"
on YouTube, for starters. Going deeper, grupero bands often are adopted by Mexico's drug lords, known to post internet
videos of gangland-style torture with "their" band's tunes as background music.
Some pundits think gruperos get caught up in drug deals gone bad. Others
opine that the
killings are a message from cartel leaders to the government - "we can get anybody, so stay out of our way." Regardless, it's a nightmare
without end. The drug wars are a double-edged sword for Felipe Calderon, Mexico's neoliberal, Bush-aligned president. Publicly,
Calderon has decladred war on drugs. But the cartels pay off the police, of course, and Mexico's cops aren't all that's corrupt. The
twisted relations between narco cartels, political campaign finance and some holders of high offices are in plain sight, if you read the Mexican
press.
On October 23, 1971, The Alvin Ailey dance company dazzled a sold out audience. "There were
bluesy shouts, exultant cheering and clapping, whistling, some jumping up and down in the front rows, and demands for "more!" from an audience on its
feet," reports The Capital Times. We expect the same response from Complexions Contemporary Ballet, founded by two former stars of
the
Ailey
company, on March 2nd.
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above: Esperanza
Spalding
Yes, They're Awesome: Parlato & Spalding Make for a Spectacular
Evening
Gretchen Parlato and Esperanza Spalding are going to be awesome. I can say
this with total
assurance - I saw them perform live at the 2007 Arts Presenters convention. And they knocked my socks off. Parlato's flowing lyrics and Spalding's
soulful bass notes make the evening spectacular. These young women truly are the future of jazz!
In the words of LaVar Burton and Reading Rainbow, "but you don't have to take
it from
me!"
above: Gretchen Parlato
Courtney Byelich
Traditional Armenian Music Comes to Great
Hall
What do duduk, zurna, dhol, kanon, kamancha, and shvi have in common? They
are all
traditional Armenian instruments played by the Shoghaken Folk Ensemble, of course! Join us in Great Hall on the fourth floor of Memorial Union on
February 20th to dance the night away to the sounds of traditional Armenian music. One of Shoghaken's specialties is ashoughagan, or troubadour
music.
So if you're ready for a night of duduk-a-palooza, come to the Great Hall and
dance those
winter blues away!
Ballet. What is your immediate reaction to that word? Most people think of a
beautiful,
stylized, and graceful form of dance to slow (or fast) music. However, after watching a performance by Complexions Contemporary Ballet, you may
form an
entirely new impression of the word. Widely accredited for being innovative and high energy, Complexions Contemporary Ballet is "alive and kicking
like a racehorse," according to the New York Post. Dances are choreographed to songs by the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Prince, and George
and
Ira
Gershwin.
America's original multiracial dance troupe, Complexions Contemporary Ballet
features a
combination of dancers from different backgrounds. Roughly 20 dancers compose the troupe that was initially founded by two former stars of the Alvin
Ailey American Dance Theater, Desmond Richardson and Dwight Rhoden. Established in New York City in 1994, the original goal of the founders was to
create
an ensemble with dancers from both classical and contemporary disciplines. Complexions Contemporary Ballet found instant success; as early as 1995,
they received the New York Times Critics Choice Award and began touring. Since that time, they have toured nationally and have appeared in
several
international dance festivals.
Constantly praised for their unlimited energy and originality, Complexions
Contemporary
Ballet has given audiences a new genre of dance that combines the best of sheer talent, experience, athleticism, and creativity. Check out their
video here. Buy your ticket here.
Emily Semmelman
Christopher O'Riley
Saturday, March 8, 8:00 pm
Program Partner: Madison Area Piano Teachers Associated
Tickets: $32/26/18, UW-Madison students $10
Christopher O'Riley: Music's Greatest
Fan
Classical pianist Christopher O'Riley is striving to single-handedly unite
the most elite
music fans by bringing together the music of Radiohead, Elliott Smith and Shostakovich. The host of National Public Radio's From the Top, said to be
the most popular classical music program on radio today, is more than just a musician - he is a music enthusiast.
O'Riley has described himself as an obsessed Radiohead fan, insinuating that
Radiohead is the
greatest band today. To celebrate his love for the band he has created two piano albums devoted entirely to Radiohead hits, True Love Waits:
Christopher O'Riley Plays Radiohead, and Hold Me To This. Although the band's original music has vocals, O'Riley adds a piano melody to compensate
for
the lack of lyrics. In 2006, he released a piano tribute to Elliott Smith, Home to Oblivion, again featuring his own arrangements.
While it may seem natural to write O'Riley off as purely contemporary, he is
a most
accomplished classical musician. In this concert he will play selections from Radiohead, Shostakovich's Preludes & Fugues, and Elliott Smith's I
Better Be Quiet Now.
Talent, a passion for music of all genres and an ability to meld different
musical schools of
thought into one concert will make this a very exciting performance. As Duke Ellington said, "there are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other
kind." O'Riley is an artist, a fan, and most notably, an innovator.
Emily Semmelman
Meet our Friend, Sarah Marty
You are the Managing Director of Four Seasons Theatre and are also
involved with other organizations. What are they and what do they do?
FST produces shows in several Madison venues but we're always excited
to return to the Union
Theater and work with the staff and the committee.
It's pretty amazing to be part of the Madison Opera premiere of "The Pearl Fishers" one week and to see 10,000 people do the Chicken Dance at the UW
Varsity Band Show the next. I also work for the Madison Early Music Festival (MEMF) which includes an outstanding concert series and workshops each
July.
As a Program Coordinator for the UW Division of Continuing Studies, I work on the School of the Arts at Rhinelander, the Wisconsin Wrights New Play
Project, and statewide theatre programs.
Tell us about the award you received recently.
The UW Arts Institute selected me as the 2008 recipient of the Joyce J. and Gerald A. Bartell Award for the Arts which recognizes the achievements of
UW faculty and staff in the creative arts - in the areas of outreach, public service, and other activities involving the larger community. I'm proud
to join Ralph Russo (Wisconsin Union Theater's Cultural Arts Director) as an award winner and am still in shock.
What's "Follies?" Why should people come?
Stephen Sondheim's "Follies" is a great chance to hear seasoned local
performers onstage
together with a Broadway star and a full orchestra, all for a lot less than a ticket to see Tom Wopat perform in New York.
What other events are you looking forward to in the Wisconsin Union
Theater?
I love the Isthmus Jazz Series and really enjoyed Edgar Meyer and Mike
Marshall last fall.
I'm looking forward to The Academy of Ancient Music (a great lead in to MEMF 2008) and Lila Downs.
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above: Stagehands Tim Radke and Jason Whittle
Union Theater in the movies...YouTube movies, that is...
Jason and several members of our tech staff made some pretty sweet training videos! Watch them by following the links to YouTube.
Want a tour of the
backstage area of the Wisconsin Union Theater? Click
here!
Learn how to run a 35mm film? Click here!
Learn about lighting? Click here!
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Newsletter staff:
Editor: Esty Dinur
Layout Designer: Claire Weissenfluh
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